Apparatus for curing tobacco in bundles



' Dec. 28, 1965 R. D. TOUTON 3,225,456

APPARATUS FOR CURING TOBACCO IN BUNDLES Filed Jan. 23, 1962 FIG. 2.

. 32 f k 30 32 I E 22 I. AIR CONDITIONER I8 Fl G. 3. 44

FIG. 6. INVENTOR, iii-i RUSH D. TOUTON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,225,456 APPARATUS FOR CURING TOBACCO IN BUNDLES Rush D. Touton, Wynnewood, Pa. Wurton Machine (30., 9th St. and Columbia Ave, Philadelphia 22, Pa.) Filed Jan. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 168,051 3 Claims. (Cl. 34202) This invention relates to an apparatus for curing green tobacco in bundles.

A wide variety of different methods are employed for curing tobacco leaf. All of these methods which have been successful as a practical matter involve the transportation of tobacco in bulk to a curing structure where the leaves are then supported in position for curing. The most widely employed practice is to string the tobacco on sticks or laths which are then placed on a support in the curing structure. This procedure involves a substantial amount of handling of the tobacco in bringing it to the curing structure and in further labor at the curing structure to position the tobacco suitably in the curing chamber. In View of the relatively high cost of labor and tobacco today, it is important to reduce the amount of labor, and consequent breakage involved in the curing of the tobacco.

A further objective is to establish a self-compensating mass, so that air flow patterns and gas relationships are economical, consistent and effective throughout the cure.

In accordance with this invention there is provided means for the curing of the tobacco leaves which can accept the tobacco in a wrapped form, in which it is conveniently transported.

The invention will be made clear from the following description read in conjunction with the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of apparatus in accordance with this invention partially broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 showing the employment of a modified bundle;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation partially broken away of an alternative apparatus according to this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a fabric supporting tobacco and employed in accordance with this invention on a roll of tobacco;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of a tobacco roll formed from the fabric and tobacco shown in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of an alternative length of fabric of greater width supporting two rows of tobacco and adapted to form a tobacco roll in accordance with this invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, tobacco curing apparatus 2 in accordance with this invention has an air conditioner 4 which may be of a conventional type employed in providing conditioned air for the curing of tobacco. Air conditioner 4 has a circular opening 6 for the discharge of conditioned air. A tobacco roll support member 7 has a conically shaped portion 8, the lower end of which is Welded adjacent the edges of opening 6 as indicated at 9. Support member 7 has an upstanding upper portion indicated at 10 with vertical walls. A tobacco roll 12 is supported by support member 7. As the tobacco shrinks on curing, the roll 12 will settle downwardly in support member 7 and due to the conical shape of portion 8, will continue to be supported and the conditioned air employed will not bypass the tobacco laminations.

The details of tobacco roll 12 are made clear from a study of FIGURES 4 and 5. Roll 12 is formed from a length of fabric sheet 16 which advantageously will be a fabric which breathes, i.e., permits the passage of air therethrough, for example, burlap, muslin, cheese cloth or sacking. The tobacco leaves 18 are laid preferably with the faces of the leaves up and in an overlapping relationship across the length of sheet 16 with their butts all in one direction. If desired, a plurality of layers of leaves may be placed between each wrap of the roll. Sheet 16 is then rolled along its length in spiral formation to form the tobacco roll 12 shown in FIGURE 5 with the tobacco leaves disposed between the convolutions of said spirally wrapped sheet to form a tightly packed bed. The outer end 17 of sheet 16 is secured to the previous wrap as by sewing as indicated at 17A.

A bundle 19 differing from roll 12 can be employed as illustrated in FIGURE 2. In bundle 19 tobacco leaves 18 with the tips extending upwardly are packed within an outer wrap of breathing fabric 21 which has outer end 22 stitched to the next inner wrap as shown at 23.

An alternative curing apparatus 24 is shown in FIG- URE 3. Apparatus 24 has an air conditioner 26 having an upwardly facing opening 28 for the discharge of conditioned air. A foraminous support, for example a screen 30, is secured to conditioner 26 below opening 28 as by welding indicated at 32. A boot 34 of leather or any flexible material through which air cannot flow is mounted on top of conditioner 26 as by studs shown at 36 and is secured about tobacco roll 12 by endless coil spring 38. Roll 12 is supported by screen 30 which also acts to evenly distribute the air to the tobacco in roll 12 even when the tobacco is not uniformly packed.

An alternative breathing fabric sheet 42 of greater width than sheet 16 is shown in FIGURE 6 and may be employed where it is desired to have two rows of tobacco leaves 18. As shown in FIGURE 6, one row 44 of tobacco leaves 18 have their butt-s 20 extending towards the adjacent edge of sheet 42 while another row 46 of tobacco leaves 18 have their butts 20 extending in the opposite direction adjacent the opposite edge of sheet 42. Advantageously the faces of the leaves face up. Sheet 42 is rolled along its length in spiral formation with the tobacco leaves inside to form concentric wraps with the tobacco leaves between the convolutions of said spirally wrapped sheet to form a tightly formed bed of tobacco. The thus formed roll can be employed in the curing apparatus 2 shown in FIGURE 1 or the curing apparatus 24 shown in FIGURE 3. When a roll formed from sheet 42 is employed, it is advantageous to periodically invert the roll in the curing apparatus so that the butts of rows 44 and 46 will alternately face the discharge opening of the curing apparatus. As shown in FIGURE 6, it is advantageous to have the tobacco leaves in row 44 overlap the tobacco leaves in row 46. The upward flow of air through the roll helps to support the upper row of leaves during the curing operation and assist in preventing them from compacting downwardly into the lower row of leaves.

The conditioned air is introduced to the tobacco roll at a temperature within the range of from about 70 F. to 200 F., preferably from 70 F. to 130 F. and advantageously at F. to F. for cigar tobacco leaves. This air preferably has a relative humidity of from about 30% to about 75%. In the initial and terminal stages of curing, the relative humidity may follow the practice of employing a relative humidity of up to 100%. In order to pass the conditioned air through the tobacco roll, it is maintained at a slight positive pressure. The rate of air flow through the tobacco roll will preferably be from 15 feet per minute to 300 feet per minute to provide for a final temperature drop in the conditioned air from its entry into the tobacco roll to its discharge therefrom of from about .3 F. to about 5 F., preferably from about .5 F. to about 2 F.

The tobacco is subjected to the conditioned air, with periodic reduced or reversed air flow or rest periods if desired, for a sufiicient period of time to partially or completely cure and dry to the desired color, moisture content and quality.

Roll 12 and the roll formed with sheet 42 form a corrugated pattern as the tobacco shrinks on curing due to the gathering of the fabric into folds as the diameter of the roll gradually is reduced. This forms a magnitude of passages extending from one end of the roll to the other which facilitates the flow of conditioned air through the roll and hence the curing of the tobacco. Advantageously the faces of the leaves face the center of the roll, i.e. inwardly which is the natural direction for the leaf to curl during curing. This provides for the best compaction of the leaves as their volume decreases with adequate passages for the flow of the conditioned air through the tobacco mass.

It will be understood that the apparatus of this invention is as fully applicable to curing tobacco leaves on harvested stalks as it is to curing leaves picked from the stalks. When employed, the stalks are disposed with respect to the fabric sheet which will be of greater width in the same manner as the tobacco leaves per se.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for curing tobacco, comprising a wrapping means adapted to surround a bundle of tightly packed tobacco leaves with said leaves extending substantially vertically, said wrapping means being open at its top and bottom; air conditioning apparatus having an opening for the discharge of conditioned air upwardly through the tobacco leaves contained within said wrapping means; a foraminous structure secured to said air conditioning means and extending across said opening and adapted to support thereon said wrapped bundle of tobacco leaves with the open bottom of said bundle resting on said foraminous structure; means adapted to guide said conditioned air from said opening into and through said bundle comprising a boot surrounding said opening, a portion of said boot adapted to contact the lower exterior portion of said wrapping means; and an elastic member surrounding said boot and said lower portion of said wrapping means in tight contracting relation therewith and adapted to contract to reduce the diameter of the lower portion of said bundle as the curing of the tobacco leaves progresses.

2. Ap aratus for curing tobacco as defined in claim 1, wherein said wrapping means comprises a sheet rolled along its length in spiral formation with said tobacco leaves adapted to be disposed between the convolutions of said spirally wrapped sheet' 3. Apparatus for curing t-obacco as defined in claim 1, wherein said elastic member is an elastic coiled spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 227,477 5/1880 Booraern 34-233 309,054 12/1884 Horowitz et a1. 131-133 1,449,324 3/1923 Johnson 131-133 1,693,989 12/1928 Milligan et a1. 131-140 1,952,781 3/1934 Smith 131-140 2,016,535 10/1935 Bogaty 131-140 2,157,975 5/1939 Wilson 34-242 X 2,798,496 7/1957 Jones 131-140 2,933,090 4/1960 Hamilton et a1 131-140 2,989,057 6/1961 Touton 131-140 WILLEAM F. ODEA, Acting Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS R. CHAPPELL, NORMAN YUDKOFF,

Examiners, 

1. APPARATUS FOR CURING TOBACCO, COMPRISING A WRAPPING MEANS ADAPTED TO SURROUND A BUNDLE OF TIGHTLY PACKED TOBACCO LEAVES WITH SAID LEAVES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY, SAID WRAPPING MEANS BEING OPEN AT ITS TOP AND BOTTOM; AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS HAVING AN OPENING FOR THE DISCHARGE OF CONDITIONED AIR UPWARDLY THROUGH THE TOBACCO LEAVES CONTAINED WITHIN SAID WRAPPING MEANS; A FORAMINOUS STRUCTURE SECURED TO SAID AIR CONDITIONING MEANS AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THEREON SAID WRAPPED BUNDLE OF TOBACCO LEAVES WITH THE OPEN BOTTOM OF SAID BUNDLE RESTING ON SAID FORAMINOUS STRUCTURE; MEANS ADAPTED TO GUIDE SAID CONDITIONED AIR FROM SAID OPENING INTO AND THROUGH SAID BUNDLE COMPRISING A BOOT SURROUNDING SAID OPENING, A PORTION OF SAID BOOT ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE LOWER EXTERIOR PORTION OF SAID WRAPPING MEANS; AND AN ELASTIC MEMBER SURROUNDING SAID BOOT AND SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID WRAPPING MEANS IN TIGHT CONTRACTING RELATION THEREWITH AND ADAPTED TO CONTRACT TO REDUCE THE DIAMETER OF THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BUNDLE AS THE CURING OF THE TOBACCO LEAVES PROGRESSES. 